


Your Love Is Sunlight

by DisplacedKey



Series: Diarmute AU Week 2020 [1]
Category: Pilgrimage (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Diarmute AU Week 2020, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:53:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25381162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisplacedKey/pseuds/DisplacedKey
Summary: David didn’t hate the idea of soulmates. But in a world where half the population met their soulmate before they turned thirty, David, now thirty-eight, felt a little left behind.
Relationships: Brother Diarmuid/The Mute
Series: Diarmute AU Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838056
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	Your Love Is Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from "Sunlight" by Hozier.

Despite what David’s friends thought, he didn’t hate the idea of soulmates.

Each person was born with a second half, someone they were destined to spend their life with (romantically or platonically, though that distinction had only become widely known in the past few decades). Every person also had a color they couldn’t see, though the types of colors also varied. One person might be unable to see all reds, while another could be blind only to a specific shade, like pink. There was an entire field of pseudoscience dedicated to analyzing what your missing color meant, how it reflected your personality or that of your soulmate’s. That was about as accurate as astrology as far as David was concerned, but plenty of other people bought into it. His mother had read dozens of articles about the subject, and firmly believed that the fact that she’d started seeing pink after meeting David’s father meant he was a romantic. David had no idea what color he was missing. No one ever did. There were a slew of bullshit tests you could take, from online quizzes to psychic readings to eye exams by “experts,” but the results were never more than a guess.

David didn’t hate the idea of soulmates. But in a world where half the population met their soulmate before they turned thirty, David, now thirty-eight, felt a little left behind. All of his friends were happily married to their soulmates, making David’s lack of a partner even more glaring. He wasn’t bitter, but the older he got, the more he found himself thinking of why he had to be one of the unlucky ones. And the more he thought about it, the less surprised he was. After everything that had happened to him and everything he’d done, not getting to meet his soulmate for years and years fell right in line with the rest of his life. If he was honest, he didn’t deserve a soulmate. After all, what was he bringing to the table? His service had left him a wreck; he had scars, nightmares, panic attacks, and he went mute whenever he was around people he wasn’t close to. None of that added up to great boyfriend material.

David didn’t hate the idea of soulmates, but he’d started to dread the day he met his soulmate and watched their face drop with disappointment.

David tried to take his dog to the park every day. Lovey, his little Bichon Frise, loved meeting other dogs and people and sniffing everything larger than a blade of grass. Lovey used to belong to one of his neighbors, an older woman, but once she went to live in a care home, she’d had to give her up. She’d asked David to take her, and David couldn’t say no. Lovey (whose full name was actually Lovey-Dovey, but David refused to say that out loud) proved to be an affectionate roommate. She sat on David’s lap when he watched TV and sprinted up to him when he came home, wagging her tail so hard her entire back half moved from side to side. She needed to be brushed thoroughly every day, but David found it calming rather than a nuisance. They were an odd match. David was almost six feet tall, bearded, muscular, and leading a little fluffy Bichon around on a sparkly pink leash.

The weather was warm enough that David chose to go out in just a t-shirt and jeans. It was Saturday, David’s day off from the construction site, and the park was busy. Kids ran around playing tag and chasing balls, couples sat together on picnic blankets, and college students strode down the paths with headphones in and coffee cups clutched in their hands. David kept a slow pace so that Lovey had plenty of time to sniff things. He came to a full stop when she became entranced with a dandelion.

“Um, excuse me, sir?” an unfamiliar voice said. “Would it be alright if I pet your dog?”

David turned and lay eyes on the most beautiful young man he’d ever seen. Creamy skin dusted with freckles, a mop of brown curls, honey-brown eyes, and soft pink lips. He wore a form-fitting t-shirt and a pair of high-waisted denim shorts that showed off miles of smooth skin. His long, thin fingers were wrapped around the strap of a beat-up leather messenger bag. His smile made David’s brain short-circuit. It took a minute for the question to sink it. He was about to nod when something in the background caught his attention.

The sky. It was...different. It was... _blue_. But no blue David had ever seen before—it was light, and bright, and cheerful, and there was so much of it. The whole sky was just this light, bright blue dome, and the beauty of it took David’s breath away. A few seconds later, the implications struck like a thunderbolt. David’s attention snapped back to the young man, who was staring at their surroundings with open-mouthed awe.

_It can’t be,_ David thought. A feeling that walked the line between panic and joy swelled in his chest.

“Oh my god,” the young man breathed. He clutched the strap of his bag. “Is that what green really looks like?”

_It can’t be,_ David thought again as his fingers began to tremble.

The young man’s eyes, now shining with tears, turned back to David. He looked dazed. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “It’s all so beautiful. I never—I never realized. And you…” Focus seeped back into his features. “You’re…”

All David could do was stare. The young man pressed a hand to his chest, an ecstatic smile stretching across his face. “You’re my soulmate,” the young man said. “Oh my god. I-I can’t believe—oh, I thought it would be forever until I—you—what’s your name? I’m Diarmuid. My name is Diarmuid.”

David blinked. Swallowed. “David,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I’m David.”

“David.” Diarmuid said David’s name slowly, like it was a piece of candy he wanted to savor. “It suits you. I…” A nervous giggle spilled from his mouth. “What was it for you? Your color.”

David’s eyes flicked upward. “Sky blue.”

“Really? That’s one of my favorite colors! That’s amazing!” Diarmuid gestured around them. “Mine was green! Just—all green, I guess. It’s unbelievable. I’m going to have to revisit every trail, every park, every garden…”

Diarmuid’s voice trailed off. David didn’t know what to say. Years of self-doubt and disappointment had piled up until David had almost stopped expecting to meet anyone at all. But here he was. Beautiful, bubbly, and...happy to meet David.

“Goodness,” Diarmuid said, “I...I’m not really sure where to go from here, if I’m honest. Do you...want to get coffee?”

David swallowed. “Yes.”

They went to a cafe that Diarmuid liked that also had outdoor seating. On the way there, David introduced Diarmuid to Lovey, who lapped up Diarmuid’s cooing and ear-scratches with delight. Diarmuid got the drinks while David got them a table, looping the end of Lovey’s leash to one of the chairs.

David could talk to Diarmuid. Recently, every time his throat had closed up around a stranger, some tiny part of David’s mind would hiss, _imagine if that was your soulmate. What kind of meeting would that be?_ But now, staring into Diarmuid’s liquid brown eyes, he could talk. Granted, it was only a few words at a time, but it was something.

Diarmuid was twenty-two and in his final year of university. He was getting a degree in teaching for primary school. He loved to knit, bake, garden, and attend Mass. He lived with his father Ciaran, and their two boarders, Rua and Cathal, who had been living with them for as long as Diarmuid could remember and were basically family. “Oh my goodness,” Diarmuid said, “I have to tell them! Oh, they’ll—ooh, they’ll want to meet you.” A series of emotions passed over his face, not all of them good.

“They won’t like me,” David said, a familiar despair climbing up his throat.

Diarmuid winced. “No! Well. Maybe. But only because they’re super protective. I’m sure once they get to know you it’ll be fine.”

Get to know him. Right. Because David was a first-rate conversationalist. “Um,” he said. “You know, I…” God, this was embarrassing. David could almost see the words _disappointment incoming_ flashing above Diarmuid’s head. “I can’t really. Talk. To people I don’t know.”

Diarmuid frowned, cocking his head. “What do you mean?”

David looked away, focusing his attention on his half-empty coffee cup. The sounds of the other people around them swirled in his ears. “Around strangers, I just. Can’t. I’m sorry.”

There was a beat of silence. David’s shoulders curled inward. Shame squeezed around his throat like a snake.

“That’s alright,” Diarmuid said, and David looked up in surprise. “They’ll understand, and we can work something else out. Um. If it would be more comfortable, you could just…” He reached into the messenger bag—a hand-me-down from his father, apparently—and pulled out a little notepad. “...write in this, maybe? If you’d prefer not to talk at all, I mean.”

David stared at the notepad. Gratitude prickled in his throat and his eyes felt hot. “You…” He cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not!” Diarmuid’s smile faded a bit. “Are you—I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

David shook his head, quickly swiping his thumbs over his eyes. “No. It was nice.” He took a swig of coffee. “Um. I’d like that.”

Diarmuid pushed the notepad and a pen across the table. David took them and wrote, _thank you. I’m sorry we can’t actually talk._

Diarmuid’s eyes scanned over the words and he shook his head. “We are talking,” he said. “Your voice is nice, but I’d rather you were comfortable. So.” He put his chin in his hands and leaned forward. “Tell me about yourself.”

David filled several pages of the little notepad answering Diarmuid’s questions. The young man was a fountain of them, wanting to know everything from David’s job to his favorite dessert. By the time he stopped, their drinks were long drained and it was almost time for dinner. Lovey pawed at his leg, whining. _She’s hungry,_ David wrote in explanation.

“Is it that late already? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” Diarmuid rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s swap numbers and I’ll let you feed this little lady.”

They did. A glance showed that Diarmuid had surrounded David’s name with green heart emojis in his contact list, which made David blush. Diarmuid gave Lovey a goodbye pat on the head and gave David a hopeful smile. “I’m so glad I met you,” he said. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

A smile tugged on David’s lips and he nodded in agreement. Feeling bold, he grabbed one of Diarmuid’s hands in both of his and squeezed. His hands, large and rough from years of hard labor, completely dwarfed Diarmuid’s. Diarmuid’s face flushed bright red. “Um, well, goodbye then! I’ll text you later!” Another smile, a wave, and then Diarmuid was gone, swallowed by the flood of evening foot traffic. The warmth of his hand lingered on David’s palms.

David walked back home with a light feeling in his chest, the blue sky stretching overhead as far as he could see.

**Author's Note:**

> Kicking off Diarmute AU Week with a favorite trope of mine! The inspiration for this came from GinnyRose's Spider-Man fic "Sunshine, Daisies, and Butter Mellow," which I highly recommend! It's very cute and fluffy and well-written. See you tomorrow!
> 
> GinnyRose's fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18164468/chapters/42957746#workskin


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